Car-door mechanism



March 5, 1929. w. E. WINE ET AL 1,704,158

CAR DOOR MECHANI SI Filed March 8, 192a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 5,1929. w. E. WINE mL 1,704,158

cm noon uscmmrsu Filed March 8, 1926 2 Shuts-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES GAR-noon MECHANISM.

Application filed March 8, 1926. Serial No. 93,282.

Our invention relates to car door mechaiiisin for supporting the drop doors Oflftllway cars against opening movement, and has for its object to provide a mechanism for s that purpose which is of simple and rugged form and is easily operated. I

The principal feature of the invention, generally stated, consists in rigidly mounting upon the door a blitCliGhGiLIlYll'lg a pivoted latch and a rotatable cam, thelatch extending beyond the adjacent edge of thedoor so as to cooperate with a. shouldered member secured to the car body for the purpose of maintaining the door in closed position, the rotatable cam being adapted to engage the latch to retain the latter in door locking position, the latch and shouldered member being capable of having a locking engage ment with each other in a plurality of relations corresponding respectively to closed and partially closed positions of the door, and the latch and shouldered member hav ing portions adapted to be simultaneously engaged by a removable lever serving as a means for forcing the door to fully closed position from a position-of partial closure.

A further feature of the invention consists in mounting upon the door a bracket carrying a pivoted latch adapted to cooperate with a bracket: attached to the-car body so as to prevent opening movement of the door, the bracket which is carried by the door being provided with a latch guiding portion forming ineansfor supporting the latch against outward thrust normal to 'its plane of operation, and the pivoted latch being maintained in door locking position by means of a cam rotatably mounted on the first named bracket and adapted to engage the latch between its pivotal point and the said latch guiding portion of the bracket.

Other features of the invention pertaining to advantageous forms and relations of parts will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly insection of one of door, preferably the hoppers of a railway car of a familiar type, showing mechanism involvii gthe invention applied thereto.

" TENT orries.

. KADEL, or BALTIMORE,

" Figure 2 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the construction shownin Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line Figure 4 is a detail elevational viewof the bracket upon which the pivoted latch and its controlling cam are mounted.

Figure 5 is a detail view in end elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 4..

Thecarillustrated in the drawings. isof the well known type having hoppers formed with sloping sidewalls, but it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited inits application to cars of that particular type; and While a portion of the door at one side only of the car is i llustrated, it will be understood that the door construction on the opposite side of the car is identical. y

a In the construction illustrated, 1 indicates the side wall or sheet of acar-hopper, and 2 is a door v open ng.

for closing the, hopper discharge The door, which is adapted to M swingto open position under the influence of gravity, may be hinged to the car body in any customary or preferred manner. The door is preferably of marginal stiifenin as sealing means of fine lading. T which is remote spreader 5 which g flanges 3 which also serve for preventing the escape he marginal door flange 4,

from the hinge axis of the extends inwardly as shown.

outer face of the door adlower edge is a stiffener or door may advantageously be in the form of a channel member having oppositely extending supplemental flanges 6that bear against and are riveted to the door plate.

As is well under member 5 serves a transversely of stood, when the stiffening s a door spreader it extends the car and is rigidly consides of the, car center sills so as to cause the door sections to operate as a unit. 'Rigidly mounted upon the end of the stiffener 5 'adjacent the side edge of the door is a bracket ted latch 8 and a rotatable 7 carrying a pivo the sheet metal type having.

cam 9 serving to retain the latch in door locking position. This bracket preferably is provided with inwardly directed spaced flanges 10 and 11 which receive the channel portion of the door stiffener 5 between them, rivets 12 which extend through said flanges and stiffener being'employed to secure the bracket in place.

The inwardly extending flanges 11 form parts of horizontally spaced latch guides 13 and 14, respectively, with which the bracket 7 is integrally provided. The outer latch guiding portion 13 of the bracketserves to support the latch 8 against any outward thrust normal to its plane of operation'to which it may be subjected.

For the purpose of pivotally mounting the latch 8 the inner guide por ion 14 of the bracket is preferably provided with a hollow pivot stud or pintle 15 whose inner end terminates at the outer face of the door stiffener 5 when the parts are in assembled relation. The eye 16 at the inner end of the latch 8 receives the pintle 15 and a rivet- 17 extending therethrough and through the door stiffener is preferably employed as security against bending or breaking of thepintle. To provide a pivotal mounting for the cam 9 by which the latch 8 is maintained in locked position, the bracket 7 is preferably fashioned with an upwardly directed flange 18 from which a forwardly projecting hollow pintle 19 extends. 'The cam may be conveniently retained in assembled position upon this pin tle by means of an overlying washer 20 through which and through the hollow pintle and flange 18 of the bracket a rivet 21 passes. To limit the extent of downward swinging movement'of the latch 8 when the door is open an inwardly projecting stop lug 22 may be conveniently formed integral with the latch guide '18 so as to extend beneath the latch.

The cam 9 engages the latch intermediate of the pivotal point of the latter and the latch guiding portion 13 of the bracket. It is preferably formed with an opening 23 which, when the parts are in locked relation, is adapted to register with an opening 2'42 in the upstanding flange 18 of the bra ket, saidopening being adapted to receive a car seal of any usual or desired form. To compensate for variations in the position of the cam 9 when the latter is performing its duty of maintain ing the latch 8 in door locking position, one of the seal receiving openings 23 and 24, preferably the latter, may be elongated as shown.

The latch 8 projects laterally beyond the adjacent edge of the door and the neighboringside sheet 1 of the car. At its free end it is provided with a eat for cooperating with a. removable door operating lever by means of which the doormay be forced from partially closed to fully closed position. This leverseat upon the latch may advantageously be formed as a perforated projection or loop 25 through which the door prying lever may be inserted, the lever thus being enabled to be employed not only for closing the door but also )1 prying a frozen door open.

\lly mounted upon the side sheet 1 of the ca r body and projecting beyond the plane of the door for cooperating with the latch to prevent opening moven'ient of the door is a shouldered member or bracket This t and the latch are pr 'erably adapted to have locking engagement with each other in a plurality of positions respectively correspondi i to closed and partially. closed positions or the door. To this end the brackct 2G is provided with st gped shoulders 27 and 28, respectively, and the latch 8 is of a cross sectional form to a'i'ford corresponding cooperating stepped shoulders 29 and 30, respectivelyll hen the inner shoulder 30 of the latch cooperates with the outer shoulder of the bracket 26 carried by the car body the door is supported in partially closed position. l Vhen both i ouldcrs 27 and 28 of the bracket respectively cooperate with the two stepped shoulders 29 230 of the latch 8 the door is maintained a fully closed position. To constitutea fulcrum for the removable door operating lever when the latter is inserted in theperforated outer or Ehof the latch 28, the fixed door locking bracket 26 carried by the car body is provided below itsinner locking face with an outstanding projection 81 whichmay advantageously bein the form of an upwardly opening pool et forreceiving the lower end of-the door operating lever. A drainage opening 32 preferablyprovided in the bottom of the pocket. As will be readily app *eciated, a fulcrum formed as a lever receiving pocket etiicieutlylends itself to cooperation with the lever in prying a frozen door open as well as in forcii'ig the door completely shut. The outer end of the bracket 26 is preferably inclined, as at to form an approach plane automatically causing the latch 8 to perform an unlocking movement when the door is swung toward closed position. During this automatic unlockingrotation of the'latch, the guide 13 effectively prevent movement of the latch outwardly away fron'i-the door. i

lVe claim 1. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door adapted to swing to open position under thcinauence of gravity, of a bracket rigidly mounted on the door, a latch pivotally mounted on the bracket and projecting beyond the adjacent edge of the door, movable means for engaging the latch to retain the latter in door locking position, anda bracket secured to the car body and projecting beyond the plane of the door for cooperating with the'lat-ch to prevent opening'movement of the door. s id last named bracket bein providedwi h .pped shoulders and said lat-ch being formed with correspondingly stepped shoulders, and one of the shoulders oi the latch being adapted to cooperate alternately with each of said shoulders of the bracket, whereby the door may be retained either in closed or in partly closed position. 2. In car door 111(3Cl1fl1118111,l1l16 combination with a hinged door adapted to swing to open position under the influence oi gravity, ot a projection constituting a fulcrum adapted to be engaged by a removable door operating lever when the latter is inserted in the said opening of the latch.

3. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of a bracket carried by the door and rigidly secured thereto, a latch pivotally mounted upon the bracket, a cam rotatably mounted on said bracket and adapted to engage the latch to maintain the latter in door locking'position, and a bracket secured to the car body and having a shoulder for cooperating with the latch to prevent opening movement of the door, said first named bracket being provided with a latch guiding portion forming means for supporting the latch against outward thrust normal to its plane of operation, and said cam being adapted to engage the latch intermediate of the pivotal point of the latch and the said latch guiding portion of the bracket.

4. In car door mechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of means for maintaining the door in closed position, said means involving a pivotally mounted member and a lined member adapted toengage each other to prevent opening movement of the door,

one of said members being carried by the door and the other by the car body, movable means adapted to engage said pivoted. member to retain the latter in locked position, and a bracket forming a mounting for said movable means, said last named means and the bracket each being provided with an aperture for receiving a seal.

5. In car doormechanism, the combination with a hinged door, of means for maintaining the door in closed position, said means involving a pivotally mounted member and a fixed member adapted to engage each other to prevent opening movement of the door, one

o'l said members being carried by the door and the other by the car body, a bracket upon which said pivoted member 1S mounted, and a cam rotatably mounted outhe bracket and adapted to engage the pivoted member to retain the latter in locked position, said bracket having an opening adapted to receive a seal and said cam being provided with an opening with which said openingin the cam is adapted to register.

6. In car door mechanism, the combination with a door hinged to the car body, of a stitl ening member secured to the outer face of the door adjacent the free edge of the latter, a bracket mounted upon the stiffening member adjacent a side edge of the door, a latch pivotally mounted upon the bracket and adapted to swing in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the door, a cam rotatably mounted on the bracket and adapted to engage the latch to prevent pivotal movement oft the latter, said bracket being integrally provided with a plurality of spaced pmtles upon which the latch and cam are re- .spectively mounted and a shouldered bracket secured to the car body for cooperating with the latch to prevent opening movement of the i door.

7. In car door mechanism, the combination with a door hinged to the car body, of means for maintaining the door in closed position, said means involving a pivotally mounted member and a fixed member adapted to engage each other to prevent opening movement of the door, carried by the door and the other by the car body, a rotatable cam adapted to engage said pivoted member to retainthe latter in locked position, and a. bracket upon which the pivoted member and the cam are mounted, said bracket being integrally provided witha plurality of spaced pintles uponwhich said pivoted member and cam are respectively mounted, the pintles extending in opposite directions from their points of attachment to the I, 1, {I or acket.

one of said members being 8. Abracket torcar door mechanism.adapted to form a mounting for a pivoted-door locking member and a rotatable cam for maintaining the door locking member in locked position, said bracket being provided with integrally connected pint-les extending in opposite directions from their points of attachment to the bracket.

9. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a hinged door for closing said opening, said door being movable to open positioi i under the influence of gravity, and means for supporting the door in closed. position involving a movable latch member mounted on thedoor and a fixed hook member mounted on the 521.1 body, said hook being provided with a laterally projecting pocket. constitutin g a fulcrum for a removable prying lever.

1.0. A railway car having a lading discharge opening, a hingeddoor for closing.

said opening, said door being movable to open position under the influence of gravity, means for supporting the door in closed position invoivii'ig ii pivoted latch member mounted on the door and 21 fixed hook member mounted on the car body, and a lateral projection formed on the hook constituting a pocket affording fulcrum for a removable prying lever, said hook being provided with a reinforcing Web extending from said pocket substantially longitudinally of the hook. 10

In testimony whereof We aflix our signa- 

